


It's A Practical Proposal

by seventhTense



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Developing Friendships, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Hurt/Comfort, If the conversation at the end of Episode 13 of the anime had been a little different, M/M, More comfort than hurt though, Or just put it in a side-fic, Soft Dates and Noisy Talk Shows, The hurt/comfort is like a roller coaster in this one, a shit-ton of flirting though, more tags to be added as plot developments happen, no sexual stuff planned but if that changes I'll up the rating, shifting point of view, shopping trips
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 11:33:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18738181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seventhTense/pseuds/seventhTense
Summary: After solving their first case together, Goro makes an interesting proposal to Akira. Driven by the fervent beating of his gay little heart, Akira accepts. Their lives veer wildly off-script from that moment on.





	It's A Practical Proposal

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't intend to post this until I had all the chapters written, but apparently it's Goro Day today, and who am I to ignore a noble holiday like that? Enjoy~

The heat of June lay heavy over the denizens of Tokyo, from the time the sun rose well into the night, outdoors and in. Even in a place like Leblanc, a cafe with what could generously be described as somewhat modern air conditioning, it was still hot enough that the undershirt Akira wore stuck moistly to his skin, that he worried parts of his white, long-sleeved button-up would show see-through to his guest from the sweat he could feel staining it.

His guest, of course, seemed to feel none of this. Goro Akechi was a famous Boy Detective, the Second Coming of the Detective Prince, a profession that sprawled with calculatedly causal elegance across the borders of Law Enforcement Officer, Idol, Student and Social Media Darling all at once. Such people simply did not sweat, regardless of the heat or the season. It just wasn’t done.

Goro brushed a stray hair back into its place in the artfully scruffy mess he called a hairstyle, and took his move in the chess game he and Akira had been engaged in for the past half-hour. They had been having these little matches every so often for the past week or so. Goro had come in a couple days after Kaneshiro had confessed, propositioned Akira for a match laden with not-so-subtle threats to the Phantom Thieves before beating him soundly. Since then, almost every day, like clockwork, when Akira came home from exams or spending time with his friends and confidants, Akechi had been there, waiting with a cup of coffee, a charming comment, and a chess board that just so happened to be casually within arm’s reach.

He beat Akira every time, but Akira was still learning through the repeated defeats- after all the brain teasers in Kaneshiro’s Palace, learning chess via consecutive trials by fire was nothing.

This time, though, something seemed to be preoccupying Akechi. The usual banter he peppered in whenever he made a particularly brutal move was subdued, phoned-in almost, and he had a distant look in his eye. Akira could almost hear the machinery that made up the detective’s mind whirring as it overclocked its way through whatever problem he was trying to solve.

As he puzzled out where to move his pieces next, Akira realized it might have something to do with the case he and Akechi had been working on the past few days, the associate of that art guy who had been trying to (way too aggressively in Akira’s opinion) mentor Yusuke through his latest piece. Goro had busted the guy the day before, and now that Akira was listening, the TV at the other end of the cafe was playing some coverage of the arrest’s aftermath.

He looked up from the board, and sure enough, Akechi’s eyes were locked on the screen, a little, barely-noticable smirk playing on his lips as he listened. “You were a great help, you know. I couldn’t have solved this one without you.”

Akira snorted, making his move. “As if. Once we figured out that that Kawanabe guy was innocent, his assistant was literally the only other culprit possible. You’d have bagged him whether I was there or not.”

To that, Goro only smiled, surprisingly gently- sincerely, almost, if that were a word Akira still wasn’t too comfortable associating with Akechi. “But you _were_ there. You have my thanks, Kurusu-kun.” His gaze turned back to the board, grew thoughtful. “To be honest, from the time I started working as the Detective Prince, I’ve never had a partner like you. The career detectives at the station detest me for being younger and more successful than they are, and while Sae-san trusts me, certainly... well, as I’m sure you’ve become aware since starting to spend time with Makoto-chan, the Nijima sisters have a tendency to act...”

“Motherly?” Akira smirked at Akechi, teasing.

Akechi winced, letting out a brief, nervous chuckle. “I would have said mentorly, but I suppose the general feeling is the same regardless of how you phrase it.” He moved his piece, took one of Akira’s pawns, grew thoughtful again, and when he spoke, he sounded almost... nervous? “I’ve... never really had someone I could trust, like you. You’ve always taken me seriously, yet never held back when you disagreed with my conclusions of beliefs- whether it’s just us here in Leblanc, or on live national television,” he quipped, that confidant smirk returning briefly as he shot Akira a look.

Akira only smirked back, raised his hands, palms facing Akechi. “Guilty as charged. It’s not often you’re wrong, but it is pretty nice to call you out on it when you are.”

That got a laugh out of the detective, a rough bark of one, as if Akechi had been surprised by Akira’s honesty so much that he forgot to make it as gentle as he worked so hard to make every other part of him. “You... I’m starting to suspect you’re a bit of a sadist, Kurusu-kun.”

His smirk grew wider, and he leaned back in the booth. “Oh, I swing both ways, don’t worry.”

Something sparkled in Akechi’s eyes at that, though he snorted out a laugh as well. “Do you now?” Akira nodded, and Akechi shook his head bemusedly. “A sadist and a masochist. What is the youth of today coming to?”

Akira shrugged. “A man can’t help the way he feels, detective. Besides, what’s the point in life unless you’re flexible enough to take whatever path is the most exciting, when the opportunity strikes?”

“Ah,” Akechi nodded, that sparkle in his eyes growing even brighter. “Such wisdom, Kurusu-kun. I’ll have to keep that in mind myself.”

Akira smiled, then turned his eyes back to the board, thinking on his next move. He wasn’t blind to the subtext floating beneath that exchange- to the contrary, he crafted it quite deliberately, taking the opportunity to both tease and pseudo-come out to Akechi at the same time. Admittedly, it was a little cheesy, and not entirely honest- Akira had come to realize that while he certainly could see himself in theory dating the girls he had gotten to know since coming to Tokyo, he had only felt really pulled towards actively pursuing his male friends, brief though the turnover had been from attempting to flirt with Ryuji, Mishima and Yusuke in turn, to realizing that they were probably straight, and quietly, privately quashing the feelings late at night, while pretending to sleep by Morgana’s side.

Akechi was more complicated. He was pretty certain the detective was gay as a corkscrew rainbow, but... well, as much of a masochist as Akira was, even he felt a little reticent about pursuing someone who gave him so many mixed signals, all at incredibly high intensity, every time they met. Every time they happened to run into each other one-on-one, it was like Akira was the only other person in the world Akechi seemed to care about, and every time the subject of the Phantom Thieves came up, or Akechi ran into Akira hanging out with his friends, it felt like the detective’s gaze was a pair of crosshairs, aimed directly at the vital spots on them all, and every word he spoke to them was practically bursting with unspoken threats that it was only a matter of time until they slipped up just enough so that he could either put them behind bars, or beneath six feet of dirt.

It was confusing, to say the least. On one hand, Akira desperately wanted to protect his friends from any and every threat that might come their way, Akechi very definitely included. On the other hand, Akira also counted Akechi as one of his friends, and desperately wanted to figure out which Akechi was the real one; unsubtle threat-boy, or unsubtle flirt-boy. And if both were the real one... well, Akira would probably be kinda turned on by that, in a fucked up way, but he wanted to find that out for sure too. Akira felt a deep, unyielding desire just to get to know Akechi, to get close to him, to be a part of his life, and it wasn’t even driven by the fact that the detective was hotter than any summer Akira had lived through.

Well, okay, it was _partially_ that, Akira was honest enough with himself to admit it. He was a teenager, constantly flooded with hormones and boners and inappropriate thoughts about the people he cared for. Lust was going to be at least a small factor in anything he did. But more than that, he felt a unique bond tying him and Akechi together- a rope, tied around both of their waists, spanning the width of a torrential river while the two of them sat on either bank. If Akira could just brave the rapids quickly enough, before the rope wore and snapped, he knew, deep in his heart, that he would find the answers to questions he didn’t even know he had waiting with Akechi on the other side. It was just a matter of effort, and time, and the possibility that Akechi might take a chance on Akira, take hold of his end of the rope, and help pull him closer to his heart.

The two boys made their next few moves in silence, and a few minutes passed before Akechi spoke, voice clear and calm. “Kurusu-kun?”

Akira clunked his Rook down onto a white square. “Hm?”

“What would you say if I asked you to be my boyfriend?”

Silence buzzed louder than any sound could throughout the cafe.

Akira’s fingers didn’t leave his Rook.

Akechi’s hands closed on the rope between them, and tugged.

Seconds, minutes, years passed, they both aged into piles of dust, reincarnated, and resumed their places across the board from one another. Akira spoke up, trying to keep his voice level, sounding a little too deep for the effort. “...I think might have misheard you there, Akechi.”

He could feel Akechi’s gaze on his forehead, even as Akira kept his eyes glued to the board, could feel the smile radiating off of the detective’s lips. “I asked what you would say...” Akechi’s hand moved across the chess board, a single finger landing on the crown of Akira’s Rook, and started circling around it, as if it were the rim of a glass. “...if I asked you to be my boyfriend, Kurusu-kun.”

Akira nodded, took an involuntarily deep breath. “That’s... what I thought you had said, yeah.”

Akechi only radiated smiles and confidence, and continued on. “I’ve been looking for a talented partner, you see. An intelligent one, quick on his feet, and more importantly...” The movement of Akechi’s finger stilled. “One I can trust. As I said before, I believe I can trust you, Kurusu-kun. Am I correct in that assumption?”

Akira raised his gaze to meet Akechi’s own, found his eyes to be just as confidant as his voice was, found his smile to be just as sure as it sounded, wondered how many times Akechi must have practiced saying this to the mirror to come off this unfazed. When Akira spoke, his voice was shaky, breathy, but genuine. “...yeah. You can trust me, Akechi. There’s some stuff I can’t... really talk about, but I would never lie to you.”

His smile took on a different timbre, on Akira couldn’t quite place a name to yet, and the detective shook his head. “You really wouldn’t, would you?” He sounded amazed by the fact, which said a hell of a lot about the kind of life Akechi led, and the way people must treat him, and only served to make Akira’s heart ache all the fonder. Akechi met his eyes again. “I’ll return the favor then.”

He leaned back, finally releasing Akira’s chess piece, and closed his hands around the empty mug of coffee in front of him. “I’m not blind to the fact that this is incredibly sudden, of course, nor am I blind to the possibility that you might already be engaged in a relationship with one of the bunch you spend so much time around-”

“I’m not.” Akira wasn’t sure what drove him to correct Akechi so suddenly, so forcefully, (of course he knew, of course he did) but it seemed to please him, a touch of relief coloring the detective’s otherwise unflappable smile.

“Good. Well, not good that you are lacking in a romantic partner, I would take no pleasure at any pain or loneliness you might feel from that, I simply meant that-”

It was Akira’s turn to smile, chuckle a little. “Akechi. I get it. You can relax, I’m... surprised, but... definitely interested.”

Akechi took a breath, let it out, nodded. “Good,” he repeated, then took another breath, met Akira’s gaze again. “I’ll cut to the chase then. I’ve... never really considered engaging in a romantic affair. My schedule is far too busy to allow for dating, or really for much besides schoolwork, police work, maintaining my image and reputation socially, and the same kind of investigative work you assisted me with so adroitly these past few days, Kurusu-kun. Physically, mentally- emotionally, I simply don’t have the time.”

Akira nodded, choosing to not mention the fact that as busy as Akechi claimed to be, he had still made the time to play chess with Akira for a few hours every night for the past week or so. “Makes sense.”

“But,” Akechi leaned back, eyes drifting to the beige stucko of the cafe’s ceiling. “Recently, something has... changed, or developed, I suppose, in a way that has had me reconsidering my priorities. Something that has had me examining the contents of my personal life, lacking though they may presently be, and... what I want, really. How I want to be seen, and who I want to be seen with.”

Akira nods again, his nerves starting to give way to a burgeoning tide of hope bubbling up within him. Had he really changed Akechi’s life that drastically?

The boy detective continued, fingers tapping on the handle of his mug. “As I’m sure you’re aware, my star has been rising of late, in terms of popularity. While I’ve been reasonably popular for a while now, thanks to my case record and the TV appearances the Department has set up for me, it’s only been this year that my popularity has grown to the size at which it becomes... a touch overwhelming. I’m seen now as the image the interviewers and my superiors in the force wish to project of me, seen in many ways as a caricature, Less an individual, and more a poster to hang in one’s room and ascribe whatever qualities are seen as most pleasing to the viewer’s eye.”

He lowered his gaze from the skies above and gave one of those crinkly-eyed, charming boy laughs, clearly trying to dispell the seriousness of what he had been saying. “Not that I’m ungrateful for my current status, my popularity. It’s a privilege, and an honor, naturally. Simply...”

His expression shifted again, into a soft smile, his eyes meeting Akira’s. “The more times I’ve happened to run into you, Kurusu-kun, the more time I’ve spent at your side, the more I’ve gotten accustomed to, if you’ll pardon the dramatics of the phrase, being treated as a real person. Or, to put it another way, as just a person, not someone who can... do something for someone, or be something to someone. Around you, I somehow find myself simply existing however I happen to naturally be, reacting how I naturally would, whether I intend to or not.” His smile stays soft for a moment as he closes his eyes, but when he opens them again, it takes on a slightly devious quality. “I find that I crave that feeling quite dearly.”

As soon as it came, the devious look vanishes, and he’s all business again. “More accurately, I’ve grown to notice that feeling’s absence very acutely. It’s gotten to the point where I now feel as deeply uncomfortable under the gaze of the cameras and crowds as I once felt welcome and at home there. Thus, my proposition.”

Akira took a deep breath. Akechi’s long, oversharing-y speeches were weirdly common, but this was one hell of one. He decided to try and break the tension a little, smiling smirkily and giving Akechi a Look. “Are you here to _proposition_ me, detective?”

He waggled his eyebrows for effect, and Akechi snorted ungracefully again, rolled his eyes and shook his head at Akira’s antics. “A proposal, then. And before you make any Wedding-based japes, no, not that kind of proposal.”

That got a laugh out of Akira, partially at Akechi predicting exactly what he had been planning to say, mostly because holy shit did Akechi just actually use the word _japes_? “What kind of proposal are we talking, then?”

Akechi smiled. “To put it simply, I want- no, I _need_ to be able to be genuine in my work. I’ve grown the need to be seen, at least partially, as I truly am by the public at large, and I believe that in today’s social climate, the aspect of myself that would work the most effectively would be my sexuality.” He paused then, hesitantly, looked a bit nervous. “That... doesn’t bother you, does it?”

Akira was confused, and furrowed his brow. “What does?”

“That I’m... gay.” Akechi was actually blushing now, which was cute as hell, but Akira couldn’t focus on that when this was one of the very few times that he could tell Akechi was being truly vulnerable with him.

“Akechi, if the guys in my friend group weren’t all straight as a board- well, all the guys in my friend group until I met you, I guess- then I’d be already taken, boyfriend-wise.” He smiled, softly. “I’m with you on this one.”

Akechi matched his smile, and let out a breath he had been holding. “I’m very pleased to hear that, Kurusu-kun.” He kept the moment going for a few seconds more, then broke it, back to business. “Well. As you’ve probably realized by now, my proposal is this: I’d like you to help me come out publicly, by acting as my boyfriend in strategically public areas- popular date spots and the like- to hopefully be seen and have our picture taken by fans of mine, who will then get rumors going on social media, and have things snowball from there.”

Akire tried to keep his smile stable as he felt the hope inside him sink back into the sea. _Fake_ boyfriends, then. Ah well. It might still be nice, and certainly would be a way to get to know Akechi better, as Akira so dearly wanted to do, but... well. He supposed this was as much as he could have hoped for, really.

Akechi was still talking, however.”I realize of course that this is all very outlandish- people asking people to pretend to be their lovers is something out of a combini paperback romance. And of course, it is remarkably unfair and restrictive on you and your own freedoms to act truthfully in public, especially if you find someone you actually want to date, and are then unable to romance them properly in public. I wholly understand if you wish to refuse, but, ah, one misses all the shots one doesn’t take, as the saying goes-”

“Okay.” Akira takes a deep breath, then takes his mug and gently pries Akechi’s out of his hands and goes to put them in the sink.

“-so I thought I might as well- sorry, what?”

Akira is chuckling. “I said okay, Akechi. This.. sounds fun, honestly. Hoodwink the entirety of Tokyo with some flashy romantic stuff, have people gossiping over us on Twitter,” He poked his head out of the kitchen and shot Akechi a Joker-esque wink. “Go on hot, pretend-dates with Tokyo’s sexiest teen heartthrob? Sign me the fuck up.”

Goro blushed very red indeed at that, and covered his face in his hands, gloved fingertips rubbing squeaky little circles into his temples. “I’m regretting this already.”

“Too late, buddy, you’re stuck with me now. Well,” Akira reconsidered, shutting the faucet off and grabbing a dishrag to dry the mugs with. “Technically I guess you’re not stuck with me until we get paparazzi’ed at the kitchiest Couples Cafe in Roppongi, and even then you’re really only stuck with me til word gets out enough that you can break up with me and still be seen as a ‘Genuine Gay Guy’ by the people you’re trying to come out to,” He fingerquoted the last bit. “But for that very specific amount of time, you’re stuck with me, mister! No take backs!”

When Akira looked, pointing his finger dramatically towards Akechi, Ace Attorney-style, for one blink-and-you’d-miss-it moment, there was a very soft, almost mournful smile on the detective’s lips, replaced an instant after by a confidant, casual smirk. “That’s fair enough, I suppose, if wholly ridiculous. I suppose I’m just now truly realizing what I’ve gotten myself into. I, ah, didn’t really expect that I’d get this far, to be perfectly honest.”

Akira put the mugs with the rest of the air-drying dishware, and strode back to his and Akechi’s booth, where the detective had already put their chessboard away in its little box. “Expect the worse, get surprised when something good actually comes. I get that. But, if you weren’t thinking about me being generally a weirdo of a boyfriend, you also probably haven’t considered another important factor that’s now publicly known.” He raises a finger in the air, leaning back into the barely-stuffed cushions behind him. “I’m a known Phantom Thieves supporter. You’re the detective in charge of their case. Isn’t that gonna cause a problem of some sort?”

Akechi just laughed lightly, waving the concern away. “Not really. A healthy relationship allows a difference in opinions, after all. If nothing else, it’ll make a good cover for whenever we might get seen in the middle of one of our... more intense debates, for example.”

The cocky theif in Akira slithered out in a smirk and a glint in his eyes. “Like when I have to spend a half hour convincing you that you’re wrong about some 101 political shit?”

Akechi snorted derisively, an unpretty and surprisingly sexy little sneer playing on his lips, mirroring that same glint right back at Akira. “Kurusu-kun, the only thing you manage to convince me of in those long, long thirty minutes is that a thirty-first minute spent dragging the argument out would be one too many wasted of the precious few we get in this life.”

Two paths diverge before Akira then, one where he doubles down and does his best to rile up Akechi about the political stuff, which is always a good time, or another, where he changes tactics completely. He chooses the later, leaning over the table towards Akechi, until their faces are very close all of a sudden, Arsene lending him the shadowy allure of a thief to color his words, deepen his tone. “You know, if we’re gonna be dating, you should probably drop the Kurusu-kun, and start calling me Akira, _Go-ro~_ ” He emphasizes the syllables of Akechi’s- Goro’s name, purposefully making sure his lips form prime kissing shapes with each oh-sound he makes.

He hits jackpot, The confidence that had been radiating out from Akechi stumbles head-first out of Confidence and into Blatant, Open Arousal. Akira was under no illusions that he was some kind of seduction master, but he was also fully convinced that Goro had never been properly flirted at by someone he took seriously before, and was running with that inexperience as far as he could take it. He was just as inexperienced too, of course- whether Goro was flirting with him or not was debatable (and, arguably, if he didn’t make such loud protestations to the contrary, Akira thought that Ryuji had said some awfully flirty stuff before too), but certainly nobody had looked twice Akira’s way and laid it on as thick and blatant as Akira was laying it on now. Again, Arsene helped a lot to make up for that lack of real-life knowledge, filling Akira with whatever weird, demon-like magical energy Personas were made of.

Goro was staring, very obviously, at Akira’s lips, very, very red in the face, and swallowing in that way that meant he suddenly felt very thirsty, both literally and metaphorically. “R-right... Akira,” he tried, his voice coming out a little raspier than usual, way less refined, and hitting Akira right in his puberty. Hell, maybe he actually had a chance at winning Akechi’s heart for real if he kept this shit up. The most direct path to a man’s heart was through the pants, after all.

He spent too much time thinking about this all, though, as Akechi seemed to have enough time to gather himself, sit up straight again, and adjust his tie. “Well, since w-we’re agreed upon in general, perhaps we should hash out some next steps. There’s still a bit of time before the last train, I think.”

Akira nodded, pulling out his phone and opening the calendar app. “Alright, shoot. What were you thinking?”

Smiling a little smile, Akechi followed suit. “Let’s see... I’m supposed to be quite busy this week, but if we want to make this look real, as if I’m truly head-over-heels for you, we ought to make it look as if I’m shoving my schedule around to make time for you. Perhaps we can make the first date this Friday, after classes? I should be able to make a reservation somewhere that suits your ‘kitchy’ requirements for then, if you’re free.”

Akira smiled his own little smile back, thumbing open Friday’s spot and marking down the time Akechi had said. It wasn’t as if he really ever had anything other than school, Mementos trips, and hanging out with his confidants during the day planned out in any detail anyways, and at least two of those three things could always be pushed to another day if need be. “Sounds good to me. Text me the details once you get them?”

A nod as Akechi’s thumbs flew over his own screen. “Naturally. After that... hmm, I suppose- assuming that we’re caught doing something appropriately romantic, of course- the next step would be to arrange a spot on one of those talk shows I frequent to fan the flames...”

_Ah, so this is how a professional media darling plans his love life,_ Akira thought, his smile far fonder than the thought probably warranted. He put on a slightly mischievous look, quipped “Sound cool- can I come with?”

Akechi looked up from his phone at that, raising an eyebrow, clearly surprised, though not appalled at the mere suggestion, as Akira half-expected him to be. “Come with me onto the talk show? That’s... hm, that actually isn’t a half bad idea, Kurus- er, Akira. Sorry, I’ll have to practice that one.” He gives Akira a sheepish smile, then redirects his attention to his phone. “Yes, the network would probably be all the more willing to accommodate us if the whole couple comes on, not to mention it’ll seem all the more real if I’m seen on television with my actual boyfriend.... nice call, Akira, that’s very wise.”

He peeked up over his phone again, with a dry look this time. “Assuming, of course, that you keep on-topic during the interview, and don’t just take the opportunity to say whatever outrageous things a rebel like you might say on nationally broadcast daytime television.”

Akira raised his hands faux-defensively, chuckling. “You know me so well, Goro.” That got another blush out of the detective- oh this was gonna be so much fun. “But yeah, don’t worry. I like fucking with the system, but this is about us, right? Not just me.” He gave Goro a dashing grin, noting as he did the awed little glimmer in the other’s eye. “We’re a team now, you and me. Let’s steal the hearts of all of Japan with our lovey-dovey ways, _darling~_ ”

Akechi barked out another ungainly laugh at that, covering his face again, dropping his phone on the table in the process. His shoulders shook as he held back his laughter. “Dear god, please do not phrase it that way in public, Akira.”

He smirked. “What, the Phantom Thieves reference, or the lovey-dovey bit-”

“The Phantom Thieves reference _**and** _the lovey-dovey bit, Akira!” Goro was trying so hard to sound harsh, but it was admittedly pretty difficult to do so while still fighting back a case of the giggles.

Akira nodded, patting his fake-boyfriend’s arm soothingly. “Okay, okay. Message received.”

“Thank you.”

He paused. “I will keep the _darling~_ bit in for the interview though, that shit’s gold.”

“AKIRA.”

\---

They finished up all the planning they could do at the moment, and Akira walked Akechi to the train station like a good not-boyfriend, and gave him a very Gentleman Thief-style kiss on his gloved fingers, which got a _very_ good blush and thwack on the arm out of the boy. He went home, got shouted at by Morgana for a bit until he could soothe the eternal worrywart of a not-cat, and the time until Friday passed in a blur. Akechi texted Akira the details for their date as soon as school finished the very next day, and, after doing some shady, macho shit with Iwai for a bit, Akira spent the rest of that evening doing as much research as he could into the restaurant Goro had picked.

So, when the time came for them to meet up on Friday, Akira was loaded both with information about the place, and a whole list of things to snark about with Akechi. He had just enough time to stop by Leblanc after school, to both drop off Morgana and to change from his uniform into something more closely resembling date wear, and then giving up halfway through trying to find a whole outfit, just tossing on a black tee with a ‘super f-ing cool!’ print on it, according to Ryuji, rolling up the sleeves of his school blazer, grabbing some cheap-but-comfortable red gloves Ann had gotten him a couple of months ago, and just wearing his normal school pants, which, to Akira’s continued surprise, were actually pretty fashionable already. For such a shitty school, they must have hired a pretty talented uniform designer back when they started out, or however schools decide on their students’ uniforms.

He fretted over not having enough cool clothes to make up a good date outfit all during the train ride over to Roppongi, but was both relieved and amused upon arriving to find that his fretting had been for naught, as Goro, waiting for him next to the cafe’s entrance, was also just dressed in his school uniform, unbuttoned and rolled-up enough to be more comfortable in the summer heat. He strode over to his beige beau, making sure to keep out of his line of sight, sneaking up right behind Akechi, then taking his hand, and quickly raising it to his lips.

Akechi jumped, his entire body tensing in the same way Akira’s own did when he was ambushed by shadows in he metaverse, (and wasn’t _that_ an interesting observation Akira totally wouldn’t replay dozens of times in his head later) then instantly de-tensed as his eyes searched wildly for and then landed on Akira, bent over, lips still hovering above the leather of Akechi’s gloves. He smirked up at the detective, and pressed a kiss to his knuckles. “Hey babe.”

Akechi puffed out a grunt of annoyance, if fond annoyance, and squeezed Akira’s hand before snatching it away. “Akira. You really are far too adept at sneaking around for... well I suppose it’s fine for your _own_ good, but certainly not anyone else’s.” Akira chuckled, and they both straightened up, readjusted the parts of their outfits and hair that had fallen out of place. Akechi continued, sounding more concerned this time. “Your train ride over was uneventful, I hope? I know it’s a rather long way from Yongen to here.”

He waved the concern away. “It was fine. Got some reading in during the trip, it was kinda nice.”

  
Goro smiled. “That’s good then. I also like to read on the subway, when I can. There’s something very soothing about the liminal nature of places like that- different than Leblanc, but still pleasant to just exist in for a time.” His smile grew playful, and he put a hand on his hip. “Honestly, I would have suggested something closer, in Shibuya perhaps, but you did request the kitchiest Roppongi cafe I could find, and by all accounts this place fits the bill.”

Akira nodded, letting out a scoffing little breath as he gave the entrance to the place a once-over. “Goro you have _no_ idea. I looked this place up online and it sucks so bad. The instant I looked at their menu and saw every god damned drink was in French- Goro even a bottle of fucking _water_ is listed in French. And it’s not even run by French people! It’s owned by some conglomerate in Osaka!”

Goro was trying to fight back a smile and failing terribly. “It’s incredibly well-reviewed, Akira. One of the most popular spots in Tokyo, according to many hundreds of people.”

“Yuh-huh, well that’s a couple hundred assholes with more yen than taste. C’mon, let’s go inside, this place looks even worse in person than the pictures on its site did.” He took Goro’s hand, daring to interlace their fingers together, both of them blushing at the intimacy of the gesture, and walked inside, quipping all the while.

Goro tried valiantly to defend both the cafe and the views of the masses who supposedly adored it, but with every absurdity and mediocrity that Akira pointed out, Goro’s smile grew more and more open, his laughs more and more obvious and ungraceful, until, when they finally took their seats, an overpriced coffee and unpronounceable, weird-looking pastry each, the detective looked as if he was having the time of his life, cheeks rosy, smile bright, eyes scrunched up in quiet laughter.

“Oh my god, Goro, the fucking chairs-” Akira started up again as soon as his ass hit the bare green metal of the seats they were provided with.

Goro was already snickering into his gloves. “You have an issue with the chairs? You just sat down!”

“Goro, I’ve lived in an attic, slept on a mattress that’s just plopped on top of some wooden crates, sat in chairs flatter than the Prime Minister’s ass, and a couch whose last bit of stuffing was eaten by a malnourished rat in the eighties, and all of that is about ten times more comfortable than this piece of shit.” Akira’s hands were everywhere as he ranted, red hands accenting his gestures like light sticks at an idol concert.

“...the metalwork on them is very intricate? They look very pretty, certainly.” Akechi was having a harder and harder time trying to find any defense to the institutions of class and civility Akira kept tearing down without remorse, and from the smile clear on his face, was only doing so out of obligation, an addiction to being contrary, and the fact that he was having fun doing it.

Akira just huffed, rolling his eyes. “Goro, it’s a _chair_. The only point to a chair looking fancy and pretty is if it’s meant to be some garden decoration in a palace in Europe somewhere! They’re chairs! You’re supposed to sit on them! Literally nothing could be less important than if they had some artisan octogenarian metalworker carving a dozen cherubic butt cheeks into the legs of the chair, if it feels like I’m being held up by three tiny, feeble little skeleton arms! My butt is gonna be whining more than I am when we’re done with this place, seriously...”

Goro shook his head, tearing a small piece off of the very crumbly scone he had ordered, and coming away with just crumbs. He made a disappointed face at the pastry and pushed it away from him, then shrugged at Akira. “Oh, I don’t know Akira. Mine feels perfectly fine, as far as I can tell.”

A scoff from Akira. “That’s because you have a plush, plump butt, Goro. You walk around with cushioning attached to you, you won’t feel it for fifteen minutes at least.”

He got a blush from that, and Goro had to clear his throat and look away, clearly embarrassed. Akira smiled. He was rolling in wins today, this was awesome. Conversation stilling for the moment, both boys moved to take a sip from their coffees-

-and then, after a beat, very slowly put their coffees down. They stared at the very expensive-looking mugware, disappointment etched into their faces.

“Wow,” was all Akira could say.

“When we ordered a pour-over, I hadn’t realized that they took it to mean pour the hot water directly over and into the mug, avoiding any potential contamination by even a single coffee ground.” Goro said it all with such a straight face that Akira couldn’t help but snort loudly, getting a few grossed-out looks from their table neighbors in the process.

Goro smiled a little at the reaction he got, but looked more somber afterwards.When he spoke again, there was a bit of nervousness in his voice. “I... hope you aren’t too disappointed by our date so far, Akira. Whatever the purpose of this may be, I do want you to be able to enjoy yourself when we go out together.”

_God he’s sweet. I’m so fucked..._ Externally, Akira just smiled, reached under the table to put a hand on Goro’s knee, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Hey, I’m having a great time, Goro, seriously. This place is trashy as hell, sure, but I’m here with you. Of course I’m gonna have a great time. I mean what I say when I’m dunking on this place, but I’m only going on about it so much cause you get this cute little smile every time I do.”

For the first time since they met, the way Goro was looking at Akira was totally defenseless, his eyes wide, his lips parted a little. He looked... wondrous. Amazed. Like he was seeing something he had never expected to see in his lifetime. He didn’t even pull away, emotionally or physically, when he started to talk, his expression just shifted into something tender, something very fond-looking. “I’m... very happy to hear that, Akira. In truth... I think I’ve only started being able to react that way, that... honestly, since I started coming to Leblanc. I’ve been to a lot of cafes in my time, ones much like this one, to make appearances at and talk about on my instagram, but... I think the first time I truly felt at home was when I started visiting Yongen-Jaya. There’s something about Leblanc that truly lets me feel comfortable... at peace. I suppose it carries on out beyond it sometimes.” His eyes sparkled. “Or at least it does when I’m with you.”

Akira beamed, his heart feeling very warm and full. He rested his elbows on the table, his cheeks in his hands, gave Akechi a cute look. “I bet you feel so at home there cause you’re able to be served on by such a handsome, charming barista, huh?”

Goro laughed gently, and, seeming to feel daring, reached forwards to run his fingers through Akira’s hair, rest it on the side of his head. “That’s a small part of it, I suppose.” His smile grew playful, teasing. “Sakura-san _is_ very charismatic, after all.”

Akira snorted at that, instinctively batting Goro’s hand away, and they both laughed. Akira’s hand was still touching Goro’s, having stayed where it landed after batting it away, and at the same time, they knotted their fingers together again, a warm, pure smile shared between them.

The noise of a camera app on someone’s phone nearby sounded off, followed by a quick, muttered “Shit!” The phone owner must have forgotten to mute the thing, but accident or no, Akira and Goro’s moment was shattered, a sudden, intrusive reminder of the liminal nature of what they were doing. Their hands moved back to their coffee cups, and they both took a nervous sip of the gross liquid.

Goro seemed to take it hardest, his eyes, so open and gentle, closing off again in an instant, his expression growing withdrawn, troubled.

Well, Akira couldn’t have that. He was sad about it too, but a Sad Goro was something he just would not tolerate.

Loudly, abrasively, he scooted the metal legs of his chair over the wood floor until he was seated next to Goro, the other boy clearly startled by the sudden scraping cacophony. Akira nudged him in his side. “C’mon, get your phone out.”

Goro blinked at him, his hands following the command on auto-pilot, even as he let out a confused “Huh?”

Akira smiled. “You said you visited a bunch of cafes like this place, right? Show me the insta posts you made for em, then tell me what you really thought. I want the behind-the-scenes deets on what really goes through Social Media Star, Detective Prince Akechi’s mind.”

Goro shook his head, already starting to lose his sour mood in the wake of Akira’s energy. “Oh? And how do you know I would have been insincere about my impressions of these places, hm?”

He got a teasing shove from that. “Cause you hate the fake shit these rich assholes surround themselves with as much as I do, come on. Show me your true form, Snarky Prince~”

Akechi rolled his eyes, but he was smiling, and that was a definite improvement. “Fine. Though I have a feeling you’ll have a lot more to say about them than I do.”

Akira gave him a look. “Goro, since when has _anybody_ had more to say than you about _anything_?”

Goro snorted, shoved Akira half off his seat, and pulled open the instagram app.

It was a start. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a start. With a bit of time, Akira was certain he could make something real out of this, something that would last.

It was just a matter of time.

 

**Author's Note:**

> The title of this fic is a lyric from the song "Settle For Me," from the show Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, (which you should all watch) as is this chapter title, and probably the rest of the chapter titles, assuming I don't change shit up later on. It's a very Goro/Akira song, at least from the point of view of their own malnourished self-esteems.
> 
> The inspiration for this fic comes from [a tweet](https://twitter.com/miyanoai/status/1020706108732829697) by twitter user @miyanoai, (assuming they don't change their @ between the time I'm posting this and the time you read it) that has been stuck in the back of my head for almost a full year now. I've had this tweet saved in various forms for a whole year, bounced around different ideas on how to use it, and settled on one about a week or two ago, the fruits of which you see above you. I hadn't even watched the anime when they tweeted this gold!
> 
> As I said in the top-of-fic notes, I hadn't intended to post this up until I had the rest of the fic written and in-hand- it's all outlined in great detail, so I know where I'm going, but after posting two now-unfinished multi-chapter pieces before, I'm trying to be cautious at least. Buuuuuuut, I saw on twitter that today, 5/6, is Goro Day, thus named because the number 5 in Japanese is "Go" and 6 is "Roku," which is apparently close enough to Akechi's name to warrant a whole day for the boy. So I basically saw that yesterday, spent all my free time writing this, edited it as soon as I woke up, and here we are.
> 
> I won't have an update schedule set in stone until Ch 2 goes up, but I'll put my expected Update Dates in the end notes there once everything's written and ready for your consumption, my dear, hungry readers. If you want to see more detailed, moment-to-moment updates on my writing progress, or just to see what goes on in my brain, translated to tweet form, my Twitter is [ @SevventhSteen,](https://twitter.com/SevventhSteen) and I have a private twitter where I just rt shit endlessly, all day, every day, [@seventh_Tense.](https://twitter.com/seventh_Tense)
> 
> May your days be merry and bright, and your hearts sing gaily and gayly. See you soon, folks!


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